Product Description
"Curses is the 'Beauty and the Beast' retelling I've been waiting for." --Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author"A unique and twisty magical romp!" --Tamora Pierce, New York Times bestselling author\
Merit Cravan refused to fulfill her obligation to marry a prince, leading to a fairy godling's curse. She will be forced to live as a beast forever, unless she agrees to marry a man of her mother's choosing before her eighteenth birthday.\
Tevin Dumont has always been a pawn in his family's cons. The prettiest boy in a big family, his job is to tempt naïve rich girls to abandon their engagements, unless their parents agree to pay him off. But after his mother runs afoul of the beast, she decides to trade Tevin for her own freedom.\
Now, Tevin and Merit have agreed that he can pay off his mother's debt by using his con-artist skills to help Merit find the best match . . . but what if the best match is Tevin himself?
Review
“
Curses is the 'Beauty and the Beast' retelling I've been waiting for." – Marissa Meyer, #1
New York Times bestselling author\
"A unique and twisty magical romp!" – Tamora Pierce,
New York Times bestselling author\
"If you're looking to escape into a fun fantasy romp, you can't go wrong with this one." – Kelley Armstrong, #1
New York Times bestselling author\
"A genuine delight." – William Ritter, author of the
New York Times bestselling Jackaby series\
“McBride’s voyage into this full fantasy world brings a different kind of
humor than her Necromancer duology, and it’s a worthwhile pivot.” –
Booklist\
“This gender-swapped take on ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is a snappy blend of old-school fairy tale appeal, with true love and pretty gowns, and modern-day sensibilities in dialogue and plot points.” –
BCCB\
“Earnest and amusing.” –
Kirkus Reviews \
"The path to true love constitutes an enjoyable read and the repartee among characters is clever and modern." –
School Library Connection
About the Author
Lish McBride is the author of funny and creepy young adult books such as
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer;
Necromancing the Stone; Firebug; and
Pyromantic. She has published short stories on Tor.com, and the anthologies
Cornered,
What to Read in the Rain, and
Kisses & Curses. Her first book,
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults title, Morris Award finalist, and won the Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award. Lish is a former indie bookseller, has a MFA from University of New Orleans, and prefers pie to cake. While she has no long term goals for world domination, she would like her own castle.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
PROLOGUE:\
Merit Cravan, only heir to the barony of Cravan and current absentee from her own betrothal ball, locked herself in her room. Then pushed a dresser in front of the door, just in case. The dresser was heavy, and pushing it left her dress askew and her carefully curled and pinned updo a tangled mess by the time she was done.\
“You come out this instant, young lady.” Lady Zarla punctu-ated her demand with a moment of consistent but quiet thuds on the stout wooden door.\
“No, Mother.” Merit started yanking out the hairpins one by one, massaging her scalp. Her hair had a natural wave to it, but the maid had spent so much time heating and curling it that she no longer recognized the texture.\
“Stop being such a child!” Her mother’s voice through the door was fierce but low, because fairyborn aristocracy wouldn’t be so uncouth as to
yell.\
“You stop being such a child!” As a retort, it lacked flair, and in many ways only supported her mother’s argument. Merit hadn’t considered herself to be a child for several years. As the only heir, she’d had to pack up her childhood early and assume certain responsibilities. And yet, at this exact moment, that was exactly how she felt. Small. Young.
Scared. “I told you to cancel it.” Her words were calm, but the pins in her fist